Ash

Nostalgic RPG with Modern-Day Narrative

SRRN Games

“It tells an engrossing story with characters that are full of personality and emotion. It’s definitely not the most complex game when it comes to character progression, but the gameplay is fun and a nice change from some of the more convoluted RPGs out there.”-Jared Nelson (TouchArcade)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.–In a tribute to the 16-bit “golden age” of gaming, Ash for the iPhone/iPod touch invites players to relive the turn-based RPGs of the past, fusing nostalgic gameplay elements with modern innovation. By combining an engaging story, lush visuals licensed from Enterbrain, and a user interface designed natively for iOS devices, SRRN Games has produced an experience unlike anything on the App Store.

Ash tells the story of two mercenaries on the fringes of the Empire of Aghaus, a once-great kingdom now fallen into ruin after the death of its king five years prior. When a routine contract takes an unexpected turn, the two men are gradually embroiled in a conflict that consumes the entire continent—and brings to light the mercenaries’ mysterious pasts. The journey takes players across a fully-immersive fantasy world, from backwater towns to open battle on the high seas. More than 100 enemies to fight, dozens of elaborate areas to explore, and hundreds of interesting characters to meet allow Ash to offer a minimum of 15 hours of gameplay, a considerable amount of content for a mobile title.

In addition to a strong character-driven story, Ash includes a number of innovations that make it well-suited to the iOS platform. The game’s user interface takes full advantage of the touchscreen, from its intuitive tap-to-attack mechanics to the streamlined menu system. The result is a turn-based RPG that mirrors the feel of a 16-bit classic while, by shedding its anachronisms, distilling the gameplay into an experience perfect for a mobile device.

“We decided to develop Ash for the iPhone because there’s really nothing like it on that platform yet,” says SRRN co-founder Aujang Abadi. “There are surprisingly few turn-based RPGs on the App Store, and nearly all of them are ports of older games. We wanted a classic, story-oriented RPG that honored the games we played growing up. The story behind Ash is completely original.”

Ash is now on sale in the App Store for $4.99.

About SRRN GamesSRRN was founded by Aujang Abadi, Tyler Carbone, and Nathaniel Givens in the spring of 2009. All three were students at the time: Aujang and Tyler were first-year MBA candidates at the Darden Graduate School of Business, and Nathaniel Givens had just been accepted into the Economics Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan. SRRN has produced three iPhone games: Ash, iLib, and Chimes: The Game. To learn more about SRRN, visit http://www.srrngames.com/.

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